5 things to know about 'Alien Romulus'
Did Fede Alvarez add a quality installment to the storied franchise?
A group of young explorers venture out to a seemingly devoid of life space station with the hopes of getting enough cryogenic fuel to make a trip home, or their idea of home. It usually involves begging a reluctant friend to come along, even against her best intentions. However, they go to a place that is inhibited by creatures that both frighten and leave one in agonizing awe. Welcome to an Aliens adventure: A tradition started by Ridley Scott, continued on by the likes of James Cameron and David Fincher, and now polished by Fede Alvarez.
He made his bones in Hollywood by delivering a trippy remake of The Evil Dead and delivering the chills with Don’t Breathe, but what does he do with his latest endeavor, Alien Romulus? The plot described above, bolstered by a cast of fresh faces and a relentless pace, isn’t exactly original. But was an Aliens movie ever supposed to be groundbreaking in the story and dialogue department? Nope. It’s meant to scare the crap out of you, and make you believe that the biggest cajones on a ship can belong to a female.
Here’s 5 things to know, mild **SPOILERS** ahead.
1) David Jonsson steals the show
Versatility is the strong suit for an actor I knew little about before the show, but will definitely seek out afterwards. Playing an A.I droid named Andy that aids the heroine, Rain (Cailee Spaeny), Jonsson easily compels and gets to display multiple shades of personalities throughout the film. Earlier on, he carries the mindset of a child, but then it switches halfway in and gives Jonsson a new avenue to play. Andy’s, a creation of Rain’s late father, sole purpose is to make sure she is safe, but that becomes risk avert during a key sequence. From his voice manipulation to his facial expressions, Jonsson nails the role. He brings back memories of Hal from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
2) It takes place between Ridley Scott and James Cameron’s films
Wisely avoiding the treads left by the previous few installments, Alvarez places his story between 1979’s Alien and 1986’s Aliens, evoking a similar sense of white knuckle tension and getting set pieces and music cues down to a science. Benjamin Wallfisch, who created the music for Mad Max: Fury Road and Blade Runner: 2049, was the perfect choice to emulate those earlier classics. The sound here is forceful, but in an elegant and useful way. Scores should always set up a big scene’s imminent tone.
3) Alvarez makes the material his own
He has a unique filmmaker’s eye. While the tributes are numerous and apparent, this isn’t a greatest hits album from the writer-director’s point of view. He makes the terrain his own, blending the mind of someone who loved the earlier stories with someone who knows they can add a worthy chapter. The result is a three movie science fiction film cycle that could be watched back-to-back on a lazy afternoon. Like Jonsson, he wasn’t a name I was immediately familiar with going in, but it took one movie to get me glued to his next adventure on the big screen.
4) The movie really gets going in the second act and never lets up
Once they’re on the space station looking for goods and supplies, it’s a quickening countdown to the true nature of the environment, aka there’s bad stuff onboard. The first act deftly filters in backstory on Rain, the current Blade Runner-type conditions on the planet, and the stakes that could make her jump at a chance for risky space exploration.
Once the disgusting face-sucking (fucking?) creatures plaster themselves all over the explorers in a tiny space filled with water(the one teased in the trailer is doubly gory and longer than expected), the shit hits the fan and it’s only a matter of time before the big momma shows up to get her pound of flesh. The final 45 minutes are a bottleneck of thrills, tension, and bristling action and Rain and Andy make a run for it against bad odds. You’ll need a couple cigarettes after the show.
5) Have a year, Cailee Spaeny
After playing an integral part of the nerve-racking spring blast, Civil War, she’s center stage here as the innocent yet resourceful Rain who inevitably will take on the aliens. She bypasses trying to fill Sigourney Weaver’s shoes, instead producing a raw yet calibrated-to-the-material performance. She doesn’t overdo anything, and the result hits twice as hard when it matters most.
Near the end, when she gets to operate the coolest sounding machine gun in cinema history, you’ll be pounding the floor as Rain decides what to do with 450 rounds of firepower. When a movie uses practical effects to create something exciting, there’s a big perk in my interest. CGI is here to stay and just become more innovated with time, but going old fashioned in some respects has its rewards. Romulus, which refers to the name of the space station they board for chaos, is a fine example.
Bonus points: The use of silence in certain parts of the film is ingenious. It makes the sudden jolts and thrills hit harder, and stick with you for longer. When used right, a little quiet can be so golden. Through the brilliance of motion capture, the late Ian Holm and Daniel Betts come together to install a scary trust in Rook, older A.I. that plays a pivotal role in the finale. There’s a few surprises for fans of the film series to savor.
Final Take: One can easily tell after watching Alien Romulus that Alvarez was a kid in a candy store for the original two films, like a good chunk of his core audience. He placed the story in the middle of that original pair as a wholesome homage, but backed up the talk with a real walk in the form of a crafty thriller that doesn’t let up or waste one’s time. While they strive to make intelligent action thrillers with a beloved IP sitting behind it, few make it as seamless and riveting as Fede did here.
Bravo, Mr. Alvarez.
Hello, Mr. Jonsson.
Please stick around, Ms. Spaeny.